Prepared Remarks of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Washington, D.C.April 4, 2006

Thank you, Michael. Good afternoon, everyone. It is wonderful to be back here
among good and old friends, particularly during a time of important and
historic debate within this country.

According to the latest census data, there has been spectacular growth in
Hispanic-owned businesses – three times the national average. You are showing
the promise of the American dream. Our fellow Americans could learn a lot
about hard work, faith, and devotion to family and community from the examples
sitting here.

I too was a business owner once . . . a sole proprietor. Almost 40 years ago,
as a 12-year-old boy, I climbed what seemed like every step in Houston’s 70,000
seat Rice Stadium, carrying trays of Coca-Colas and Sprites at Rice University
football games. On a good night, I would return home with over twenty dollars
in quarters. In addition to watching the mighty Owls square off against
Longhorns and Mustangs and Razorbacks, I watched the students . . . and I
dreamed of what it would be like to attend college there someday.

As many of us know through experience, dreams do come true. I graduated from
Rice many years later. And it has been the greatest honor of my professional
life to have served President George W. Bush for more than 12 years now. I am
grateful that, in many respects, I have experienced the American dream.

* * *

The American dream is in many ways an immigrant dream – not unlike that lived by
people in this room and our ancestors who came to America to find freedom and
opportunity.

I was with President Bush last week as he welcomed a group of immigrants who
were about to become naturalized citizens. He told them about the
opportunities and responsibilities that come along with citizenship. And he
reiterated his vision of an optimistic Nation that welcomes immigrants who
arrive on our shores or at our borders in search of a better life for
themselves and their families. He said, quote,

“At its core, immigration is a sign of a confident and successful nation. It
says something about our country that people around the world are willing to
leave their homes and leave their families and risk everything to come to
America. Their talent and hard work and love of freedom have helped make
America the leader of the world. And our generation will ensure that America
remains a beacon of liberty and the most hopeful society the world has ever
known.”

President Bush has shown great compassion, courage, and leadership on the
difficult issue of immigration. He has called on Congress to increase the
number of green cards that can lead to citizenship. And he supports increasing
the number of visas available for foreign-born workers in highly-skilled fields
like science, medicine, and technology. After September the 11th, he signed an
executive order making foreign-born members of our military immediately eligible
for citizenship – because those heroes who are willing to risk their lives for
our democracy should be full participants in our democracy.

One such hero was Rafael Peralta. An immigrant from Mexico, he enlisted in the
Marine Corps shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Just before the
battle of Fallujah, he wrote his 14-year-old brother, quote, “We are going to
defeat the insurgents. Be proud of me, I’m going to make history and do
something that I always wanted to do.” A few days later, Sergeant Peralta gave
his life to save his fellow Marines. Although most immigrants are not called
upon to sacrifice their lives for our country, many make sacrifices that
improve and protect the lives of all Americans.

* * *

Now, the President is leading the effort to enact comprehensive immigration
reform. He wants immigration reform that is based upon law and reflects our
deep desire to be a compassionate and decent Nation. He has outlined three
critical elements for his immigration policy: improve security along our
borders; strengthen immigration enforcement inside our country; and –
importantly – provide legal options for people who want to stay in the United
States to work temporarily. I’ve heard him say a number of times: “Family
values do not stop at the Rio Grande River.”

As Attorney General, I am responsible for enforcing the law. A reasonable
immigration strategy has to include enforcement – especially enforcement
designed to keep terrorists and criminals from entering our country – and also
provide legal opportunities for immigrants to pursue their dreams in jobs that
cannot be filled by American workers. Likewise, a reasonable immigration
strategy will not succeed without enforcement designed to discourage employers
from hiring workers here out of status. America should not have to choose
between being a welcoming society and being a lawful society.

In a post 9/11 world, we must know who is coming into our country and the
reasons why. We have worked hard to secure our airports and seaports, and we
have put in place the infrastructure to share information about threats more
effectively within the federal government, and between federal, state, and
local officials, but the security of our citizens also depends on our ability
to control the border. No one is served by an immigration system that allows
large numbers of people to sneak across the border illegally. Nobody benefits
when illegal immigrants live in the shadows of society. Everyone suffers when
people seeking to provide for their families are left at the mercy of
criminals, or stuffed in the back of 18-wheelers, or abandoned in the desert to
die.

Just last week, it was reported that a human smuggler crashed and then abandoned
a horse trailer packed with dozens of illegal aliens in Tucson, Arizona. Border
Patrol agents counted 42 people, mostly from Mexico, at the scene. Witnesses
say there may have been as many as 60 humans packed into a space meant for two
horses. “It is inhumane,” said one witness. “They were all crammed in there,
basically bodies lying on bodies.” Eighteen of the border crossers suffered
injuries; 12 were hospitalized. Our U.S. Attorneys in Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, and California report to me that incidents like this happen everyday
along our Southwest border. Clearly, comprehensive immigration reform is
desperately needed now.

* * *

Much of the immigration debate is centered on the President’s call for a
Temporary Worker Program as a way to match willing workers with willing
employers for jobs Americans are unwilling to do. Workers should be afforded
the opportunity to qualify for legal status on a temporary basis. If they
decide to apply for a green card or for citizenship, they would have to get in
line behind those who respected our immigration laws. I believe the
opportunity to live and work in this country and provide for their families
under some kind of legal status is all that most immigrants desire. My mother,
Maria Gonzales, spent several years working in the fields picking everything
from cotton to green beans to strawberries. Although a U.S. citizen herself,
she does not remember ever making a distinction between citizens and those
without legal status: they all worked side-by-side to provide for their
families and give their kids a better life.

Providing immigrants the opportunity to obtain legal status should not be
confused with amnesty, which the President has firmly rejected as unfair and
unwise. Listen carefully to what I am saying. You have succeeded in business
by playing by the rules. Workers who come out of the shadows and enroll in the
Temporary Worker Program should incur some sort of penalty for violating the
law, such as a monetary fine and a requirement that they pay back taxes.
Upholding the rule of law is too important for it to be otherwise.

As Attorney General, I appreciate that with a temporary worker program, we will
understand better who is coming into our country and why . . . and that means
our enforcement efforts can focus on terrorists and other criminals who do not
seek to enter our country only to work to improve their lives, but instead seek
to enter our country so they can inflict harm through terrorist or criminal
activities.

The President understands that this immigration discussion is very important.
He wants the Congress to take action on an immigration plan this year that
makes sense for everyone – that keeps us safe and keeps our economy growing.
But he wants the debate to be civil and dignified . . . to honor our traditions
. . . and to respect the differences that have long been a part of the American
dream.

I am personally concerned about some of the rhetoric associated with this
debate. No one should try to play on people’s fears by recycling myths, or try
to pit neighbor against neighbor. No one should pretend that immigrants are a
threat to American identity, because immigrants have shaped America’s identity.
No one should claim that immigrants are a burden on our economy, because the
work and enterprise of immigrants helps sustain our economy. We must not give
in to pessimism… instead, we must embrace the generous optimism of the American
spirit.

America is the greatest country in the world. Last week in Los Angeles, I
talked about how, no matter the circumstances of one’s birth, only in America
can a Latino, Antonio Villaraigosa, be the mayor of one of the largest and most
glamorous cities in the world, and how only in America can a young Coca-Cola
salesman grow up to become the Attorney General of the United States, the chief
law enforcement officer in the land. As an Hispanic American, it is important
to me that the President believes that America must recognize and value its
diversity . . . and our heritage as a nation of immigrants.

I want to thank the Chamber for its leadership and for the dignified manner in
which you have engaged in this debate. Let us move forward to do the right
thing, to find the right solution in the best traditions of our Nation.

May God bless you and your families, and may He continue to bless the United
States of America.